Locking cover for toilet flush tanks



May 15, 1956 Filed July 10, 1953 G. LYSTER, JR

LOCKING COVER FOR TOILET FLUSH TANKS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 George L ysfer, Jn

IN V EN TOR.

BY M77009 3M G. LYSTER, JR 2,745,110

Locxms COVER FOR-TOILET FLUSH TANKS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 May 15, 1956 Filed July 10, 1955 George L ysfer, Jn

IN V EN TOR.

United States Patent LOCKING COVER FOR TOILET FLUSH TANKS George Lyster, In, San Francisco, Calif., assignor of fifty eer Ifcent to Berardino Chiuchiarelli, San Francisco,

Application July 10, 1953, Serial No. 367,207

1 Claim. (Cl. 468) The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in covers for toilet flush tanks embodying locking means for the cover to prevent tampering with the flush mechanism.

An important object of the invention is to provide internal locking means for the cover and which may be installed on the flush tank without necessitating any changes or alterations in the construction of the flush tank or flush mechanism.

Another object is to provide a device of this character of simple and practical construction, which is eflicient and reliable in operation, relatively inexpensive to manufacture and otherwise well adapted for the purpose for which the same is intended.

Other objects and advantages reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which;

Figure l is a perspective view showing the cover in position;

Figure 2 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken on a line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on a line 3--3 of Figure 2, and

Figure 4 is a group perspective view.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein for the purpose of illustration, I have disclosed a preferred embodiment of my invention, the numeral 5 designates a flush tank of a type commonly used with toilets and which is open at its top and provided with a manipulating handle 6 on the outer end of a shaft 7 which projects into the tank.

A rectangular shaped frame 8 is constructed with its longitudinal frame members 9 and 10 closely fitted at the inner sides of the front and rear walls of the tank and with the ends 11 and 12 of the frame spaced from the adjacent ends of the tank. An apertured bracket plate or lug 13 projects below the front frame member 9 having an opening therein to receive the shaft 7 to anchor the front of the frame in the tank and the rear frame member 10 is formed with a longitudinal slot 14 to adjustably receive screws 15 for threading into tapped openings 16 in the rear wall of the tank to anchor the rear of the frame thereto.

A rectangular shaped screen 17 includes a screen frame 18 having a downwardly extending flange 19 at its side and end portions and which is closely fitted inside frame 8 and anchored thereto by studs 20 threaded into one end of frame 8 and passing loosely through slightly enlarged openings 21 in the adjacent end of screen frame 18.

Threaded studs or screws 23 pass upwardly through screen frame 18 for threading upwardly into inserts 24 Patented May 15, 1956 at the underside of a tank cover 25 and additional upwardly projecting threaded studs 26 carried by the screen frame are threaded directly into the underside of the cover.

Cover 25 may be constructed of Formica having a protective metal border 27 or the regular vitreous tank cover (not shown) may be used.

Screen frame 18 and cover 25 are formed with aligned openings 28 and 29 adjacent one end and in which the barrel 30 of a lock is secured by means of a flange 31 at the upper end of the barrel and a nut 32 threaded on the lower end of the barrel. A laterally projecting swingable bolt 33 at the lower end of the barrel is actuated by a key (not shown) inserted in the upper end of the barrel to swing the bolt into and out of locking position in aligned notches 34 and 35 at the lower edges of the adjacent ends of frames 8 and 18.

The cover is installed on the tank 5 by first securing frame 8 therein by means of shaft 7 of handle 6 engaged in the opening of lug 13 and by means of the screws 15 engaged in slot 14 of the frame and threaded into the rear wall of the tank. Screen frame 18 is then secured to the underside of cover 25 by the screws or studs 23 and 26 and the lock 30 is mounted in the assembled screen frame and cover and the latter may then be tilted at one end to slide the inner ends of studs 20 into the openings 22 of screen frame 18 and a sufficiently loose fit is provided between frames 18 and 8 to permit the former to drop downwardly in the latter and locked therein by the bolt 33.

From the foregoing, the construction and operation of the device will be readily understood and further explanation is believed to be unnecessary. However, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

In a toilet flush tank having side and end walls, a cover seating on said walls, a rectangular first frame in the top of said tank fitting between said side walls, means securing said frame in said tank, a second rectangular frame secured to and depending from the bottom of said cover and fitting in the first frame, studs fixed in one end of one frame and loosely extending through apertures in a corresponding end of the other frame for upward tilting of said second frame upon said studs and sliding of said second frame off said studs upon upward tilting of said cover and sliding thereof on said tank,

whereby to remove said cover, and a lock mounted in said cover and extending therethrough adjacent the other ends of the frames and having a bolt lockably engageable with said other ends to prevent upward tilting of said second frame and removal of said cover.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 133,370 Jennings Nov. 26, 1872 1,212,878 Augenbraum Jan. 16, 1917 1,684,983 7 Clark Sept. 18, 1928 2,573,984 Parker et al. Nov. 6, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 213,089 Great Britain Mar. 27, 1924 

